THE AVENGERS OF OZ 

    I've noticed how Marvel's "The Avengers" share traits with the wacky weirdos of "The Wizard Of Oz". Lets focus on the four main members of the super hero team and what they have in common with the group that are off to meet the Wizard.

CAPTAIN AMERICA (Dorothy) : I regard the Captain as the leader of The Avengers. He's the "first avenger" who eventually goes on to become the boss of S.H.I.E.L.D. 

   He's the Dorothy, a stranger in a strange land (somewhere over the rainbow) when he wakes up in modern times. He doesn't quite fit in and he's missed his date with Peggy by 70 years. Wouldn't it be nice to go back to the 1940s where he feels at home, after all there's no place like home.

   Steve Rogers is the level headed kind of guy that is able to lead a rag tag group of misfits on multiple missions to restore their world. 

IRON MAN (The Tin Man) : Iron Man and the Tin Man are both men made of metal. The man inside the Iron Man suit, Tony Stark also has something in common with the Tin Man.
   Before settling down with Pepper Potts, Tony is a womanizing playboy. He goes through his sexual conquests with no regard for the feelings of women. What Tony needs is a heart. What The Tin Man also needs is a heart.

THE HULK (The Cowardly Lion) : Bruce Banner is capable of defending or destroying anyone or anything when he's the big green guy. As The Hulk, he is more than intimidating. Bruce doesn't want to be The Hulk. He is afraid of not being in control while he is The Hulk and the possibility of not being able to return to his non-green form.
   A lion is the king of the jungle. It can hold it's own against anything: animal or man. The Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz" is...well he's just a coward. He needs courage. Bruce also needs courage to become The Hulk by choice when he is needed to help his fellow Avengers.

THOR (The Scarecrow) : Have you ever heard the expression: "If he had brains, he'd be dangerous"? I regard Thor as kind of a naive tourist. He may know his way around Asgard, but he's not the guy to count on for answers on Earth. He's a hell of a fighter and in that sense he's scary (as a scarecrow to crows). Like the Scarecrow, he would add so much more if he only had a brain.

   

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

   Their Wicked Witch may change from film to film, but collectively, this motley crew of super heroes are outsiders, banded together to save us munchkins...I mean humans, from various flying monkeys. As we learn in "The Avengers", making a reference to "The Wizard of Oz" is one thing that is not lost on the Captain.

(Artwork by Isaac Keith Martinez)